𝒊𝒗. 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝒙𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊.

Dionysus sat down and crossed his legs. He snapped his fingers and a satyr hurried forward with a plate of cheese and crackers and a Diet Coke. 

The god of wine looked around at the assembled crowd. "Miss me?" 

The satyrs fell over themselves nodding and bowing. "Oh, yes, very much, sire!" 

"Well, I did not miss this place!" Dionysus snapped. "I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis, as well. Zeus knows how many more." 

Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

"Strike that," Dionysus said. "Even Zeus doesn't know. Now, I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top." 

"But, my lord," Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!" 

Dionysus's eyes flared with purple fire. "I have just learned that my son Castor is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humor me." 

Silenus gulped, and waved at Grover to start again. 

When Grover was done, Mr. D nodded. "It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves." He turned to a satyr. "Bring me some peeled grapes, right away!" 

"Yes, sire!" The satyr scampered off. 

"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted. 

"I say no," Dionysus countered. "That is my vote." 

"I vote no as well," Chiron put in. 

Silenus set his jaw stubbornly. "All in favor of the exile?" 

He and the two other old satyrs raised their hands. 

"Three to two," Silenus said. 

"Ah, yes," Dionysus said. "But unfortunately for you, a god's vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we are tied." 

Silenus stood, indignant. "This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse." 

"Then let it be dissolved!" Mr. D said. "I don't care." 

Silenus bowed stiffly, along with his two friends, and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs went with them. The rest stood around murmuring uncomfortably. 

"Don't worry," Grover told them. "We don't need the council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves." 

He told them again the words of Pan—how they must save the wild a little at a time. He started dividing the satyrs into groups—which ones would go to the national parks, which ones would search out the last wild places, which ones would defend the parks in the big cities. 

"Well," Annabeth said to Noelle and Percy, "Grover seems to be growing up." 

~

Later that afternoon Percy had left to go talk to Tyson down at the beach. So, Noelle decided to go and have a chat with Annabeth.

They stood in front of the campfire that was dull seeing as it was day and the overall atmosphere of camp was still relatively gloomy.

"I'm sorry about Luke," Noelle said, needing to get it out of the way. 

"It's okay," Annabeth said. "We'll get him to right his wrongs."

Noelle didn't believe Annabeth's words, but she didn't say anything. She didn't really want to argue with her at the moment.

"You know, you and Rachel looked happy together." Noelle smiled.

"Yeah, I think I was happy when she was with us," Annabeth agreed.